Archive for the 'Christian life' Category

In the July 18, 2009 issue of World Magazine, Marvin Olasky reflects on the tragedy of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford in an article entitled “Riptide.” The title especially caught my attention because over a year ago, while swimming in Florida, I was caught in a riptide and came close to drowning. In the article, Olasky refers to a riptide as an analogy to the “tide” that swept Gov. Sanford into adultery. He writes,

If it were just one clear, unmistakable line to be crossed, Sanford might not have ruined his marriage. But this gross sin, like all others, undoubtedly started in easy crossings of lines that seemed dotted rather than solid. Sometimes we don’t realize we’ve swum into a riptide until we’re pulled out to sea.

As one, however, who was caught in an actual riptide, the analogy has even more power.

For those who may not know, a riptide or rip current, is a strong channel of water flowing away from the shoreline, typically through the surf line. What did I learn from being caught in that “strong channel of water flowing away from the shoreline?”

First, I was overconfident in my ability to avoid danger. I grew up on Long Island and often swam in the ocean. Although the signs warned of a strong riptide, I thought I was an experienced ocean swimmer and could overcome any difficulty. My overconfidence led me to ignore the warning signs and overlook the danger. I soon was in big trouble. Further, I was not in as good a shape for swimming as I thought I was. I was much younger when I swam on Long Island! Much younger!

Pastors or any Christians for that matter are foolish to be overly confident in their ability to avoid serious sin. After mentioning a litany of things to which the Israelites succumbed, Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 10:12: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Paul warns us in verse I Corinthians 10:14 to “flee from idolatry.” “Fleeing” is the response of someone who is not overconfident in his or her ability to withstand temptation. Paul warns Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:22 to “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

Many Christians and perhaps even pastors today seem to be living life as close to the precipice as they can. They justify their behavior in the name of Christian liberty and anti-legalism. But my swim in the riptide taught me how easy it was to be smug about my ability to avoid danger.

Second, I learned that a riptide is deceptive. From a distance, you can see the riptide. Reading the warning sign as we approached the beach, I glanced up and saw the area of murky water that indicated its presence. But once in the waves, I lost track of where it was. One dive under a large wave and suddenly its powerful current had me in its grip.

I don’t believe David ever thought about the potential consequences of his sin with Bathsheba. His reign, his testimony, his family would never be the same. He would experience a time of terrible spiritual drought (Psalm 32; Psalm 51). Having that stolen time with Bathsheba seemed so good, so desirable, so deserved for a king! As Gov. Sanford experiences the wreckage of his marriage, the devastation of his children, the ending of his political career, and the “great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme” will he think his sin was worth it? Hardly! Just like a riptide, sin can be deceptive in its ability to deceive and destroy.

Third, it is harder, much harder to get out of a rip tide then you think. Olasky quotes the standard rule for escaping a riptide. He writes,

The riptide analogy: “If you’re caught in one and try to swim directly toward shore, you’ll just tire yourself out fighting against the riptide’s power-and you might drown. But if you keep your head and rely on God’s providential limiting of the riptide’s breadth, you’ll know that by swimming parallel to shore you can escape the water’s pull and make it home safely.”

I suppose that is good advice and about the only thing you can do when caught in a riptide. But by the time I was in the riptide, I was already tired. I did not seem to be making any progress swimming parallel to the shore. Further, the riptide was taking me further out and I wasn’t sure I would have the strength to swim back from such a long distance away. I made the stupid decision to try to swim toward shore. Unless you’ve been there, you don’t realize how powerful the impetus is to do the wrong thing.

So it is with sin. David was even willing to commit murder to cover up his sin. He tried everything he could do to avoid its consequences, piling sin upon more sin. When we grieve the Holy Spirit, He withdraws the sense of His guiding presence. It’s amazing how spiritually stupid we can quickly become! Succumbing to sin, we can quickly set in motion a series of poor decisions that brings us close to the point of drowning.

Fourth, my family was completely unaware that I was in danger. Sarah and Caleb were initially nearby, but soon the riptide pulled me quite far away from them. Carole was watching from shore, but watching them and not me. None had any idea that I was in danger!

We can hide the spiritual danger we are in from those closest to us, especially if they are not on the lookout for that danger. We have a word for it-compartmentalize. We can live in a secret world of sin and function reasonably well as a husband, father, or even as a pastor. We had better give our family permission to ask us hard questions and account for unusual behavior.

Well, I’m writing this article, so I must have survived the riptide. It brings me to the final lesson I learned from a riptide in Florida. Always swim where there is a lifeguard present! As I tried to swim toward shore without making any progress, I noticed that the lifeguard was looking in my direction. In fact, he had left his perch and was standing at the edge of the water looking intently at me. I had a choice at that point. I could keep trying to swim in my own strength or I could call out for help. Realizing I was in danger and not wanting to reach a point of total exhaustion, I waved for help. Almost immediately, another lifeguard swam up to me wearing fins. He had stationed himself in the riptide for just such a foolish swimmer. He told me to grab his shoulder as he swam me to shore. I tell you, it was a good feeling to stand on dry land!

The best thing is to stay entirely away from the riptide of sin. It is also good to swim with a lifeguard present. A lifeguard is someone who will hold you accountable and will not be afraid to ask you hard questions. I was embarrassed that I needed help swimming in the ocean but I needed help nonetheless. The lifeguard asked the necessary but embarrassing question. I do my best to avoid the riptide of sin but I also have an accountability partner who can ask me tough questions.

I appreciate Olasky’s analogy of a riptide. I’ll leave it to others to speculate on the state of Sanford’s walk with the Lord and whether he is repentant or not. But from my own experience I know that a riptide is nothing to fool with and you can certainly get into deep trouble in a riptide of sin.

I don’t cry at weddings-guys just don’t do that sort of thing.  But as I sat with Carole in the Evergreen Community Church, a church served by Village Missions in beautiful Redland, Oregon, tears began to flow down my cheeks as I learned more of this remarkable couple who stood before the congregation to exchange vows. 

Consider, Travis, the groom.  Travis grew up in a godly Christian home, a farm family in eastern Washington.  In High School Travis became convinced that God was leading him to some type of vocational Christian ministry.  Acting upon that conviction, he applied and was accepted at Moody Bible Institute.  God soon directed him into pastoral ministry and then, more specifically, into rural ministry.

I met Travis when he was in his junior year and John James and I were representing Village Missions at the annual Missions Conference.  Travis was interested in learning more about Village Missions.  The chair of the Pastoral Department, Dr. John Koessler, highly recommended him.  We had just changed our policy about accepting single young men.  Believing that God was leading him to Village Missions, Travis applied and we accepted him.  We assigned him to serve an internship of one year with Village Missionaries Tony and Kathy Pinkham, serving in Kettle Falls, WA.

Consider now Jennifer, the bride.  She is the daughter of Village Missionaries Steve and Lisa Rief.  She felt from an early age that God wanted her to be the wife of a Village Missionary.  But where was he?  In High school she patiently waited upon God.  Each year at staff conference at Cannon Beach, as I addressed the teens and challenged them to become Village Missionaries, she would be one of the teen girls that would say, “But we have to have a husband that wants to be a Village Missionary!”

Jennifer attended Ecola Bible School and still she waited.  Even at Ecola, none of the guys wanted to be a pastor.  Feeling that being a pastor’s wife was what God called her to be, she waited.  There was even a rock on the beach and Jennifer would go there, sitting on the rock, reading her Bible and praying.  Jennifer’s rock was not the rock she sat upon but the Rock of her salvation.  She cast herself upon that Rock, believing that if He had called her to that role then He would provide for her.  Would He?

Tony and Kathy Pinkham arrived at Cannon Beach in June 2008 for what would be our last staff conference for at least some time.  Travis stayed behind in Kettle Falls.  But as Kathy renewed ties with the Rief family at staff conference, and specifically Jennifer, she thought of Travis.  She mentioned Travis to Jennifer and he soon began to e-mail her.  They continued e-mailing and then met in person last September.

Now this young couple was standing in front of the congregation entering into the marriage covenant, led in the ceremony by Jennifer’s dad, Steve.  Their kiss, after Steve pronounced them husband and wife, was their first kiss.  They had waited until that time.

It was a holy moment and tears ran down my cheeks.  Holy, because it was before the body of Christ, faithfully ministered to by Village Missionaries over the years, and specifically by Jennifer’s parents, Steve and Lisa, since 1995.  Holy, because godly parents had raised them both in homes where Christ was preeminent.  Holy, because both were obeying God’s call to serve as Village Missionaries.  Holy, because both had waited upon God with trust and perseverance.  Holy, because we in the congregation powerfully glimpsed how much God cares about our individual lives, how much He cares about His church, how much He cares about marriage as the picture of His church, and yes, how much He cares about calling young couples to the great task of keeping country churches alive.

His act of generosity and sacrifice so inspired the early church that they started to call him Barnabas, for the encouragement he had provided through his selfless gift.  Evidently, a wealthy man, he had taken sold some land and given the money to the Apostles. 

Later, in Acts 9:27, he would see the potential in a broken but redeemed man named Saul.  Through subsequent years, Barnabas would mentor Saul, who later would be called Paul.  It is hard to underestimate the impact of Paul, but much of it was owed to a wealthy man who took him under his wing.  The Bible describes Barnabas as a “good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (Acts 11:24).

I’ve just met some modern day men and women who are like Barnabas.  In fact, they belong to the Barnabas Group.  The tag line for the Barnabas Group is “where marketplace leaders meet ministry opportunity.”  It is a ministry that helps ministries.  From their website:

The Barnabas Group  was created to bring diverse value to ministries locally and globally.  We provide our members with ongoing opportunities to use their time, gifts, abilities, network and/or resources to support pre-screened Christian ministries.

I presented the ministry of Village Missions at the San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles Barnabas Groups recently.  Several other ministries, large and small, local and international presented their work.  No one entertained these men and women.  They were there to learn about our various ministries and come alongside the ministries to provide help.

Actually, it was an extraordinary thing for me to observe.  So often, we have to entertain Christians or provide some sort of “dog and pony show” to get Christians to attend a meeting.  However, these Christian men and women came to learn how they could in some way partner with a Christian ministry that needed their help.  I came away from the meetings not only blessed by their help but also blessed by the reality that they were there to help!  If you are a Christian businessperson or professional reading this, I encourage you to learn more by going to their website at http://www.barnabasgroup.org/.

The Apostle Paul expected nothing but difficulty.  He only anticipated “chains and tribulations.”  Every step brought him nearer to trouble and hardship.  Yet, in his farewell address to the Ephesian elders, he made clear that nothing would stop him from fulfilling his God-given ministry.  He tells them,

But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.  (Acts 20:24)

No fearful prospect swayed Paul from his course.  Paul knew that he found joy, not in hanging on to his life but in letting it go in service to the King.  He kept focused on only one thing-fulfilling his God-given ministry of testifying to the gospel of the grace of God.

God has given us, Village Missionaries and Village Missions as a whole, the ministry of testifying to the gospel of the grace of God to rural and once rural communities throughout the United States and Canada.  As I reflect on our history, I have no doubt that we have received this ministry from the Lord.  As I reflect on how God is at work on our fields, I have no doubt that He would have us continue testifying to the gospel of the grace of God. 

For example, I think of the rodeo cowboy and town drunk, Sam (I’m changing his name and the missionary’s name for obvious reasons) that came to Christ recently on one of our fields.  People were afraid of Sam when he went on one of his drinking binges.  Dennis, the Village Missionary, prayed with him when he was in the shoot, ready to ride the bucking bronc.  He won grand prize that day!  The next Sunday Sam was in church and he continued to show up most Sundays.  A few months later, in a drunken stupor, he was somehow shot in the leg.  He decided to dig the bullet out himself rather than go to the hospital.  Sam spent the long hours of the next days recuperating and thinking about his life.  He finally realized that he could have a different life and he went forward the next Sunday in church, loudly proclaiming that he had trusted Christ!

On the road into this cowboy’s ranch is a sign warning, “Trespassers Will Be Shot.”  But the newly saved rodeo cowboy carved “Except for Dennis” underneath “Trespassers Will Be Shot.”  

In some ways, it seems like our society has a big sign warning, “Trespassers Will Be Shot!”  Village Missions faces one of our most difficult time in our sixty-year history.  The loss of so much income from Stonecroft is a major challenge, but we also face many other obstacles to ministry in our post-Christian world.  Al Mohler discussed the recently released American Religious Identification Survey in his March 2009 blog (http://www.albertmohler.com/blog).  He considered the survey’s finding that now 27% of Americans expect a secular funeral.  He wrote:

The researchers are surely right to see this trend as related to a decline in “personal concerns about salvation.”  If anyone needed proof that many Americans now operate out of a secular worldview, this single data point should suffice.  There can be little doubt that when 27% of Americans “do not expect a religious funeral at their death,” this does indicate an absence of religious concern at the point of death.  Millions of Americans expect to die without God.

In a previous blog, commenting about this study Mohler concludes:

In any event, the ARIS report draws our attention to one great and undeniable fact — we are living in the midst of a vast mission field for the Gospel.  Of course, we should have known that all along.

For sixty years we have known that our two countries are a “vast mission field for the Gospel.”  No matter what obstacle or difficulty, mission wide or on an individual field, we simply must persevere, like the Apostle Paul, in our God-given ministry of testifying to the gospel of the grace of God.  People like Sam, who used to be the town drunk, but is now a new babe in Christ, impel us to continue.  It will be our joy!

One responsibility I have as Executive Director is talking to donors to Village Missions.  I am especially busy doing this toward the end of the year and at the beginning of the year.  Normally talking on the phone is not my favorite activity.  I would much rather visit in person, but I have enjoyed these year-end and year-beginning phone calls.  I have enjoyed them because I have met person after person (over the phone) who fulfill 2 Corinthians 9:7.  It has been so encouraging to me to meet so many cheerful givers.

For example, I talked to one individual who gave a generous gift to Village Missions and to a Village Missionary.  Years ago, he had heard this missionary present the project at a Christian Women’s Club meeting.  God touched his heart about this couple and about our ministry and he has given to both over the years.  He couldn’t say enough about this couple and about our Mission.  He said to me, “I love what you do in going to little communities.  You are a “five-star” mission!”  Boy, that comment made my day!  What a cheerful giver!

In my calling, I sometimes have the privilege of witnessing “God-incidences.”  I called one first time donor from Dallas, Texas.  I learned that David L. was the son of Village Missionaries Roy and Amanda L.  David spoke highly of his time growing up as a Village Missionary kid.  He expressed to me how thankful he was that he could now give to our mission.  He mentioned that he was a boyhood friend of David Duff, president of Ecola Bible School and son of our founder, Rev. Walter Duff, and asked about him as well as other Village Missionaries.  I was able to give him some contact information so that he could renew ties with missionaries he had known.

The next morning I was going through my Inbox, which always has a mysterious way of filling to overflowing.  I found a wonderful card from a couple thanking me for the ministry Village Missions has had in their life.  I could hardly believe it as I read:

 We loved the card VM sent out to us this year.  So reminds us of Camp Creek Church.  We first attended in 1974 after just building a home here on Camp Creek that year.  We wanted to be a part of community here and what better place to begin at church.  My husband, came to accept Jesus into his heart as his personal savior under Ray and Amanda L’s pastoring-we shared so many wonderful times with them, especially thru a Bible study in our home.

How about that!  Just after talking with the their son, I read a note about the impact of his parents!  What a privilege I have of glimpsing how God has used Village Missions in people’s lives!

Webb returned my call after I called him to thank him for a note he had written with his gift.  I wrote about his note in a previous blog.

You can tell by his note and by talking to him on the phone that Webb truly loves the Lord.  He knew Rev. Duff and was so appreciative of the ministry of Village Missions.  He thanked me for sending Richard and Ellen Hayes to Foothills Community Church, where he attends.  As we talked, I learned that he was a rock hound.  I discovered that he had dug for “star garnets” in Fernwood, ID where Carole and I lived and attended the Fernwood Community Bible Church, which is still served by Village Missions.  He even knew my next-door neighbor, Shorty Sextant, who had a tourist garnet digging enterprise on No-Name Creek.  Shorty was quite a character and we had fun reminiscing about him.  Another reminder of the small world we live in made much brighter by godly men like Webb.

Well, as I write this, the economic news is not improving.  I am sure Village Missions will continue to face financial challenges.  However, I am just as sure, as I talk with these “cheerful givers” that God is gathering a mighty band who will pray for and support this ministry in the coming year.

I received this note with what most would consider a small gift of $10 to Village Missions:

Dear Brian,

This little mite is truly all this 90 yr. old man can give, but it is given with love and appreciation for VM.  I became a member almost 40 yrs ago, and have supported in the past.  But now I really have no past, just a very bright future with my Lord.

In His Wonderful Love,

Webb

May we all have such an attitude of trust!

Sunday we visited Morning Star Community Church in Red Feather Lakes, CO, our former field. Ten years ago, almost to the day, the new church we had built burned to the ground. Being at the church brought back memories of that challenging time, some painful and some wonderful.

The charred cross that survived the fire still hangs in the entryway. It was a beautiful mahogany cross, built by one of our members. Our construction manager, Dean, found it in the ashes. The fire had been unbelievably hot, so hot that water from a 2 ½-inch hose vaporized before it reached the flames. Yet the cross survived, with all four ends charred but still in the shape of a cross. I wrote a tract about how the charred cross was a much better picture of our salvation than an ornate one. Someone at the church mentioned Sunday that God is still using that tract.

Every year Carole’s brother and family would come up to Red Feather Lakes for Thanksgiving. One of the church members would give us a homegrown turkey, usually over forty pounds. I think the turkey that year was forty-four pounds! Stressed out in the aftermath of the fire, I threw out my back lifting the turkey into the oven! The aftermath of the fire and my back made for an interesting Thanksgiving!

But many heart-warming memories survive! Earl, an electrician in his eighties, who did most of the wiring, came to me and said, “Well, I guess we just have to build it again!” Employees at the Beaver Meadows Resort Ranch put on a fundraiser for the church, with employees themselves giving to help us rebuild. Later, other businesses in the town also raised money for the church. The church was rebuilt in less than a year. The congregation came out of the fire stronger and more unified than before the fire.

Then and even now, ten years later, the Morning Star Community Church fire is a reminder that God often does His most meaningful work out of ashes. The charred cross hangs as a reminder for all of us that what seems to be the worst may actually be God’s best.

When I began this series on Village Missions’ gut check four months ago, many troubling signs existed in the economy, yet few realized that an economic collapse was coming.  It appears our country and perhaps Canada is headed toward a severe recession.  Individual Village Missionaries will experience a severe decline in their retirement savings.  Families in the churches we serve have been and will be hurt by the downturn.  Church offerings may drop significantly and ministries may have to be curtailed or adapted to cost much less.  Village Missions may be affected by the decline in the return in our Pension Funds.  If the environment in which we minister was difficult before, it will be doubly difficult now. 

Yet, we have an incredible opportunity to live and proclaim Biblical truth.  Christians in the U.S. and Canada have paid lip service to the reality that true treasure only exists in heaven but instead have lived primarily for the treasure that exists on earth.  In many ways, we have sought to gain the “whole world,” not perhaps at the expense of our souls but certainly at the cost of the diminishing of our souls.  Rich in the world’s goods, we are generally poor in heaven’s goods.  Such has been the double-edged sword of prosperity, which in most cases does more harm to our souls than good. 

Perhaps we as Village Missionaries have in some ways succumbed to the material temptations around us.  We, however, at least have chosen in many ways to embrace less-less crowds, less prestige, less of a home, and less pay.  In a world that has been grasping for more and now finds “more” slipping through its hands like sand, we will have something to say.  Because we have chosen to pursue true treasure even in the midst of prosperity, our example and words should have greater credibility in the midst of severe adversity.  In the calamities of recent years, God has given us the privileged opportunity to announce to the world that there is a “Rock” on which to build our lives and His name is Jesus.  May we take every opportunity to do so!

The apparent economic collapse is even more reason for Village Missions to do a gut check.  When a family experiences economic turmoil, it seeks ways to trim non-essentials.  It might get rid of TV, pare down the food budget, stop eating in restaurants and other non-essentials that are enjoyable but non-essential to the existence of the family.  Is Village Missions essential to the work of God’s kingdom?

Well, yes and no.  God’s kingdom will move forward even in the tribulation after the rapture of the church (my view of eschatology).  Nothing is essential to God apart from His own person!

Yet, assuming that Jesus will continue to build His church and assuming that Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth includes the U.S. and Canada, the work of Village Missions is essential.  I will not review the nine previous reasons but only present the tenth and final reason why it is important for Village Missions to continue.

Reason Ten: It is important for Village Missions to continue because the approach of Village Missions transcends culture.

Village Missions carries on its ministry in a variety of settings.  The Carsey Institute in New Hampshire[1] divides rural areas in the United States into four primary areas.  The same divisions would hold true for Canada.  They are:

• Amenity rich regions.  These are rural areas enjoying growth because of the presence of beautiful natural surroundings.  We served for eleven years in Red Feather Lakes, CO, an astoundingly beautiful area in northern Colorado.
• Declining resource-dependent rural America.  According to the Carsey Institute, these areas once depended almost solely on agriculture, timber, mining, or related manufacturing industries to support a solid, blue-collar middle class.  Many of these communities have a long history of booms and busts, and now that resources are depleted and low-skill manufacturing jobs are threatened by globalization, they are in economic decline.  We serve several fields that could be characterized this way.
• Chronically poor rural America.  The chronically poor regions are rich in history, but it is a history of devastating hardship, according to the Institute.  Here, both residents and the land have experienced decades of resource depletion and underinvestment, leaving behind broken communities with dysfunctional services, inadequate infrastructure, and ineffective or corrupt leadership.  These are the poor areas of the Deep South and Appalachia.  Although we do not serve any fields that strictly fit these categories, we do serve some fields in pockets that could be characterized as chronically poor.
• Amenity/decline rural America.  The amenity/decline places represent a transitional type, with similarities to both amenity-rich and declining resource dependent communities.  The traditional resource-based economies of these places have weakened but not vanished, and their aging populations reflect out-migration.  At the same time, these areas show signs and potential for amenity-based growth.  The Carsey Institute considered areas in the Pacific Northwest, such as Clatsop County in Oregon and the Northeast, such as Oxford County, ME to be representative of such areas.  We have several fields located in this category.

I would also add a fifth and sixth type of area served by Village Missions.  The fifth would be formally rural areas but now suburban or mixed rural and suburban.  These areas are sometimes called “rurban” because of the mix of rural and urban characteristics.  Village Missions serves many such fields.  The sixth type would be non-Anglo areas where the majority populations are Hispanic, Native American, or First Nation.

Each area presents unique challenges and ministry contexts.  As the Carsey Institute has identified, many of the areas we serve face increased challenges because of the societal and economic breakdowns occurring.

Still further, Village Missions serves a wide variety of churches.  Almost every church we serve started out small, but now several are larger, multi staff churches.  Approximately 44% require salary support.  The self-supporting churches account for our largest source of revenue.  Often we communicate the cutting edge of our mission, which is going to a church that is in danger of closing, but perhaps we don’t communicate as well the success of our mission, which involves the larger churches that send out and support missionaries and do an effective job of reaching their area for Christ.

Additional variety is found ethnically.  We now serve one entirely Hispanic field in Avenal, CA and one entirely Navajo field in Twin Mesa, AZ.  In addition, several of our fields have significant Native or First Nation populations or Hispanic populations.

Why mention all this diversity?  Because the ministry approach of Village Missions allows enough flexibility to adapt to a multitude of situations.  Our approach of local church independence, Biblical ministry consisting primarily of “Preaching the Word and loving the people,” and effective support of the missionary and church translates into extremely effective ministry over a wide range of situations.

God uses our approach to rescue many churches from the brink of closing.  Jennings, MI, was down to six people when we went there but now is growing numerically, financially, and spiritually.  Yet, the flexibility of our approach allows a local congregation also to transition to larger size.  It is unfortunate that some of the churches we serve don’t realize this and feel they have “outgrown” Village Missions.  Even then, we have done our part, as we have been a significant factor in their development.  It will be good for their own spiritual progress as a church to recognize that they can help duplicate elsewhere what happened in their situation by continuing to support Village Missions (Romans 15:26-27).  Several churches do.

Village Missions’ ability to transcend culture is especially evident in how the Lord has worked in Avenal, CA.  The church in Avenal has averaged over 250 this year in attendance.  They have developed several ministry outreaches.  They use their numerous small groups as a training ground for church leaders.  I have posted pictures of their recent baptism service on my Facebook profile.  Each year the congregation travels to the coast to conduct a baptism service.  They are rapidly moving forward in having their own church building, rather than renting the local school.  Our provision of salary support to Village Missionaries Raul and Teresa Corona, the support of their DR., and the independence of the local congregation has enabled the church (without ignoring the sovereignty of God) to become what it’s today.  The Coronas and the church leadership can determine how God is leading in their cultural context.  Certainly, another major factor is the quality of the missionaries themselves.  The Coronas are an outstanding couple who work tirelessly for the furtherance of the Gospel.

That the approach Rev. Duff developed has worked so well across so many varied situations and even cultures bears wonderful testimony as to how he was led by the Holy Spirit.

The adaptability of Village Missions will perhaps be put to its severest test in the current economic crisis.  Adapting will depend on whether God’s people feel that the ministry of Village Missions is essential and whether they are committed to having treasure in heaven.

 

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[1] Lawrence C. Hamilton, Leslie R. Hamilton, Cynthia M. Duncan, and Chris R. Colocousis, Place Matters: Challenges and Opportunities in Four Rural Americas (Durham, New Hampshire: Carsey Institute Reports on Rural America Volume 1, Number 4, 2008).

Gut Check:  a test or assessment of courage, character, or determination

Village Missions is experiencing a “gut check” in recent months as we face a multitude of financial pressures such as staff conference expenses, poorer new fields, health insurance premiums, rising pension costs, and cutbacks in giving from our largest donor.  It has been extremely challenging to me personally to implement several cuts that directly affect Village Missionaries and still grapple with a $175,000 deficit.

Such a situation tests my reliance upon God and trust in His sovereignty.  Do I really believe that there is nothing impossible for God?  I mentioned at our staff conferences how Hezekiah showed his faith in God when he prayed for deliverance from the Assyrians.  I have asked God to give me that kind of faith!

This “gut check” also causes me to examine whether I am fully convinced that God has more for Village Missions to do.  The next years will be difficult years for us.  As director, will I have the “courage, character, or determination” to do what needs to be done?  God must supply this “courage, character, or determination” but I also must be convinced of the cause.  It will be a “gut check” for all who say they believe in keeping country churches alive, requiring much more “courage, character, and determination” than in years past.  It will require people to pray earnestly and give sacrificially.

Why then do I think that God intends Village Missions to continue?  I’ve come up with ten reasons why it is important that Village Missions continues to do what it does.  I’ll consider five reasons in this blog article.

Reason One: It is important for Village Missions to continue because of the importance of the local church.

This ex-hippie has been passionate about the local church since I trusted Christ at a gathering of the Rainbow Family in Colorado, hitchhiked back to New York, and the first Sunday showed up at a little country church in Warwarsing, NY!  A year later, after we were married, Carole and I moved to Idaho and began attending the Fernwood Community Bible Church.  I don’t have the space to relate how much that local body of believers, especially the Village Missions’ pastors, helped me to grow spiritually.

Today the local church is under unbelievable attack, even from within supposed evangelical circles.  Frank Viola and George Barna, for example, with a Biblical hermeneutic that must be derived from polling, statistical sampling or spin the bottle, confidently proclaim that the local church is dead or at least so warped that it must pass away.  In clear contrast, Paul made sure that Timothy knew the importance of the local church when he referred to it as “the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).  The church is just as important whether it is composed of twenty people or twenty thousand!  Jesus did not say that He would build His church until certain people grew tired of the messiness and human frailty of a local body.  He simply said, “. . . I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it” (Matthew 16:18).  Village Missions follows Jesus as He builds His church in rural North America.  I believe that it is critically important and Biblically valid to keep country churches alive, especially where local gospel witness ends if the local church closes.

Reason Two: It is important for Village Missions to continue because of the importance of lost souls. 

I’ll never forget what Jodie said to me after she trusted Christ in her living room.  She said, “My sister always told me I needed to be saved but she never told me how!”  Countless people in country communities all across the United States and Canada have no idea what it means to trust Christ.  I met a man named John who recently came to Christ on one of our fields.  He had never been to church, his parents had never been to church, and his grandparents had never been to church. 

Jesus made sure we realized the value of lost souls to God when He told the three-part parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son.  The shepherd left the flock to search for the one lost sheep.  How we need people to be burdened for the Jodies and Johns of this world!  Most people are reached for Christ only through personal contact.  When a church closes, that personal contact is lost.  In one of our new fields, almost twenty people have come to Christ in two years! 

Reason Three: It is important for Village Missions to continue because of the importance of rural people.

A Village Missionary named Emmitt Curtis traveled seventy-five miles one way to pick up a young teen named Gene Poppino.  Gene went on to become a leading trainer of youth leaders.  Jackie Scorza came out of a Village Missions field in California.  The Lord has used her and her husband to bring thousands of people from the Au tribe to Christ.  Fourteen people have gone into full-time ministry from the little Village Missions church we attended in Idaho.

A few years back we tried to calculate in some small measure the worldwide impact of Village Missions.  I believe we discovered over one hundred and twenty countries where missionaries out of Village Missions fields were serving.  Of course, we have helped many churches that are not currently being served by us.  If you consider missionaries out of those fields, the impact on the kingdom of God is truly staggering.

Traditionally, seventy-five percent of missionaries and pastors have come from rural churches.  We can be determined to continue because we know the difference it will make across the world.

Reason Four: It is important for Village Missions to continue because of the potential to demonstrate the glory of God.

Today, if a denomination wants to plant a church, in most cases it will conduct a demographic study.  They look for areas with significant potential and then launch tried and true methods, often derived from business models, to plant a church.  Often a denomination will recommend closing a rural church or a church that has declined in attendance.  A “bottom-line” mentality leaves little room for a miracle of God.

Village Missions seems to specialize in places where only a miracle of God would produce a revival of the church.  The population is declining, the morale is low, problem people dominate the church, and everyone has lost hope.  We just started serving a church in Helix, OR.  We were their last chance.  We have served hundreds of “last chance” churches and seen remarkable turnarounds.

What a marvelous way for God to get the glory!  These churches have no “razzle-dazzle,” “glitz or glamour” to account for what is happening in their midst.  The Lord once reminded Zerubbabel of this reality when he told him, “`Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).

Reason Five: It is important for Village Missions to continue because I personally have experienced its impact.

I have seen Village Missions work up close and personal!  I know that the likelihood of a church in Fernwood, Id was virtually zero because I lived there.  Today, it is only one of three churches in Benewah County that have a full-time pastor.  I know about the effectiveness of “Preaching the Word and loving the people” because I had a Village Missionary couple who did that for me!  I know what it’s like to make a progression from depending upon Village Missions for the salary support of our pastor to stepping out in faith to take on the full salary.  I know what it is like meeting with the District Representative as a board member and benefiting from his wise counsel.  I know what it is like to have a smooth transition in leadership from one pastor to another because of Village Missions.  I know what it is like to have a Village Missionary who cared for me and knew me intimately, giving wise counsel as I grappled with entering full-time ministry.

I am living proof of the viability of Village Missions.  When you cut me, I bleed Village Missions because I have received so much personal spiritual benefit from the organization before I became a Village Missionary.

Gut checks can be good although extremely painful.  I have renewed excitement about this ministry and willingness to do what it takes before God to keep it going.  Why?  Because excellent reasons exist for Village Mission to continue keeping country churches alive.  We’ll explore more reasons next time.

In Ephesians 6:18-20 Paul closes his commands to stand firm and to put on the armor of God with a call to prayer.  Much of what Paul includes in this call to prayer is surprising.  It is causing me to rethink some of my ideas about prayer, especially as it relates to ministry.

We, first, would not expect Paul to call on us to pray as the way to advance in the spiritual battle.  Prayer is important, of course.  We would expect, however, for Paul to write something more about using the shield of faith or the sword of the Spirit.  Instead, clothed with the full armor of God, we engage the battle by prayer.  We often engage in activities other than prayer but for Paul, prayer is the activity.

We also do not expect Paul to have such a concern about praying for others.  We must “be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”  We might expect Paul to command us to pray for ourselves, especially given that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (v. 12).  Although he does not rule out prayer for ourselves in the spiritual battle, the main thrust of our praying must be for our fellow soldiers who are also engaged in the battle.  As much as the spiritual armor is individually applied, we never fight the battle alone.  We stand in the evil day only as our brothers and sisters in the faith stand and they stand through our prayers.

Paul is not finished challenging our expectations.  If I were in jail as Paul was, I would pray that God might secure my release.  I would want my freedom most of all.  Also on the top of my prayer list would be safety and comfort while I was in jail.  I would want the guard I was chained to be extremely generous and kind.  “Please, Lord, if you would, provide adequate meals and a warm bed.  Oh-and help me to be strong spiritually in this ordeal!”

Instead, Paul asks that when he proclaims the mystery of the Gospel (not if), that he would have the words to speak (utterance) and that he would do so boldly (used in verses 19 and 20).  His priority, even in chains, is to proclaim the Gospel and to do so without intimidation.  He had prayed for the Ephesians that they would understand and appropriate the Gospel.  See Ephesians 1:15-23 and Ephesians 3:14-19.  As one who has understood and appropriated the Gospel, he asks them to pray that he might make its wonders known without fear.

Why would Paul make such a request for speech rather than for release?  I think it is because he knows that he is an ambassador of the King of Kings.  An ambassador must represent his king in the way the king sees fit.  Paul’s king, Jesus, told him to proclaim the Gospel (Mat 28:18-20; Acts 9:1-19).  Commitment to his job description as ambassador requires him to proclaim the Gospel.  Prayer from others on his behalf will enable him to do so with clarity and conviction.

Are we ambassadors?  2 Corinthians 5:17-21 indicates we are.  Will we be so convinced of our ambassadorship that our main prayer request will be courage and clarity in proclaiming the Gospel?